A Difficult Year

Both the EU and the US are extending financial sanctions, visa bans and asset freezes against Belarusian officials. At the same time, President Alexander Lukashenko is facing a domestic growth slowdown, a widening external deficit, and downward pressure on the currency. While the chief opposition party is currently split, and we see little immediate chance of a change in Belarus' authoritarian regime, this year Lukashenko will find it harder to contain domestic dissent, particularly as sharp gas price rises are passed on to the consumer.

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: